Aw, Stevie...you could do better! (The Lame Lyric Thread)
 

Have we done this one before??

We all have our favorite Stevie lyrics, but which ones just "don't do it" for you? Perhaps it's the words themselves...perhaps it's the way they are sung...but which of Stevie's solo lyrics makes your eyes roll?

Then...you must redeem yourself -- cleanse your thoughts! -- and post a favorite Stevie lyric! :cool:


Lame lyric: "Street angels live on the street..."
My thought every time I hear this line is: "No sh**."

A favorite lyric: "Unbraid with all of the love that you have / Like a soft silver chain." (beautiful!)


~Carlene~

Lame: "Children of the world...the forgotten chimpanzee..." Sooo awful...makes me cringe!

Awesome: "Some people walk down the darkest streets with the faith of a child...and so go the faithless..." LOVE the lyrics to No Spoken Word! :D

Favorite:

"So with the slow (sad) graceful flow - of age - I went forth with an age old . . . desire to please on the Edge of seventeen" this is probably my favorite part of EO17, all of which is brilliant (lyrics, music, vocal delivery (esp. the a capella version floating out there).

Not my favorite

"one tear slid across her lip to the corner of her mouth and dropped to the floor." I get the meaning and like it enough to listen to the song, I just find it's delivery too sappy and trite. :cool:

Lame: "And on you run, you search for love, you hate searching, you wait for love, you hate waiting, you say I hate this."

Awesome (by the comparison it makes): "And if the sun warms up the rain, and the rain puts out the sun, why does the greatest love become the greatest pain...Thousand Days!"

Lame #1:

"I only say what you want to hear
When there is a conflict I stay clear
When he was loving I was in tears
He knows my fears"

BORING!!!

Lame #2:

"And as all this comes to an end, so go the lilies of the valley
From this hour on brilliant is your danger
Darker than the image on the wall is the fear of it all
But he never said no to you baby
Mirror, Mirror"

This one never made any sense to me whatsoever, ramble on, baby!

Lame #3:

The entire lyrics to "The Nightmare". Just plain awful and self-derivative to the point of meaning zippo.


Great #1:

"In my distress...well I wanted someone to blame me
In my devastation...I wanted so to change
In my way...disaster was the only thing that I could depend on..."

So, so true!!

Great #2:

"Let the crisis become a bridge...and cross that bridge tomorrow
Well let the time that goes between, baby...
Well let it let go of the sorrow"

KILLER!!

Great #3:

"You will remember, but I will die a slow death..."

And all of "Planets of the Universe"


Of course, this is but a sampling.... :)

Re: Aw, Stevie...you could do better! (The Lame Lyric Thread)
 

*lol* When I sing along with that one, I actually change the line to, "some angels live on the street, and they always will."

Like: (they change)-"I guess we don't believe that things could go that far. We all believe in people that we think believe in God. Somewhere in the night, someone feels the pain. The ones who walk away try to love again." Flawless Stevie!

Dislike: " Oh living in a hole, was it your world or just my darkness?" Why do I think this song is about Mick effing Fleetwood?:laugh:

Once again The Tower posted my thoughts (though I do like Mirror Mirror).

Great :

"Just like the sea, still rock a little/Some say it was just like me"

"Venus doesn't glitter when she stands next to you"

"Fire on fire, rain on my face/Fever goes higher, what can you do?/Wild in the darkest places in your mind"

"Then you could use a dreamer, I think, somewhere on your side...The candle burns bright, then the candle dies"

"Living in a sanctuary, mine alone/With my story, my stronghold"

ALL of The Highwayman

Less then great:

"In her always hanging mirror"

"The earth and the sea and the sky IS at rest with the ocean"
(This is plural, and aren't bodies of water part of the earth?)

"Well I wonder which set of rooms ARE mine"
(though I do like the time taking its toll line)

"This is me talking to YA"

"I'll take off my cape for you/I'll take down my hair for you/I'll cluck like a chicken for you/Anything you want me to do, my love/Just don't Gong me"

- Jake

"Garbo" is one of the great-great-greats.... - especially the "Venus doesn't glitter...." line. I forgot to include that one. Just the other day I was playing "Garbo" on the piano and remembered the other "GREAT" line....

"When you're waltzing through stardom....
You miss what you..............
Knew..."

Just goes to show ya how underconfidant Stevie was in her "old" days. She always sez, "My voice wasn't good enough for Lindsey" - or, "I just tried to help him."

BULL****!!!!!

Stevie was (and is still) it, man..... I'm still floored that they did the demo of "That's Alright" ("Designs of Love") and didn't release it until at LEAST ten years after the song had been written and presented.

"ALL" of "The Highwayman" is dead-on right. Too many lines to mention....

"And she in all her magic, with hands as quick as light
Took him to be a challenge.... and went into the night....."

Absolute greatness....... (and graciousness.... {she's always a woman to me})

There is a song that my {former} band used to do, where -as a vamp- I would incorporate this line.... except you forgot

[SIZE=4]"Maybe the reason I say these things is to being you back alive...
Well, maybe I fought this long and this hard- just to
Make sure-
You surviiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiivvvvvvvvvvvvveeeee, yeeeaaahhhh!!!!!"

Bitchin' damn lyrics!!!! :cool:

As a parting glance, I will say that....

Rock A Little is not a great album. However, there are a few songs (and visuals) that redeem it.

1) "Talk to Me" Stevie's vocals have never been better.

2) The "I Can't Wait" video. At least she {tried} for the time that was.

3) AND my point.... In my opinion, the one great album track ("Has Anyone Ever.... is NOT an album track, it is an anthem), is "I Sing For the Things"....

"Did the fear inside you- make you turn and run- make you turn and run- make you turn and run away from me...... Don't be scared, baby....."

What the hell song is that from? I GOTTA hear that one. :laugh:

That one sounds like another winner. Street Angels live on the street. Good one. I think that reads more funny to somebody who doesn't know her material than you think. :laugh:

I can't quote any solo Stevie, but I can quote some Mac Stevie

"The dream has just begun!"

That's the single most breathtaking thing I've ever heard the woman sing. I don't think any other line I've heard from her comes close or is even half as effective.

"I have always been a storm" is another line that I really like.

As far as bad stuff from her, I haven't noticed anything that I've found unpleasant or trite, except for the whole of "When I See You Again" which is just one massive turkey.

Once again, sorry I can't quote any solo Stevie stuff. :( I just wanted to fit in somehow, FOR ONCE. :rolleyes:

Lamest: "And she stares at the stairs...Ooh there are many things to stare at these days" OMG, it's awful.


I'm loving these lyrics right now:
"For no special reason
I am leaving you for awhile tonight
I'm flying far above you
Still I love you
You make things right"

Thinking about this, I never realized just how much I love Stevie's Tusk songs until now:

The Good: Sisters of the Moon:
Intense Silence/As She Walks in the Room/Her Black Robes Trailing/Sister of the Moon

Better: Beautiful Child:
I'm not a child anymore/I'm old enough to love you from afar/Too trusting yes, but then women usually are

Best: Angel
I still look up/when you walk in the room/I've the same wide eyes/they tell the story/. . . . And we both pretend/there was an end/but there was no ending. . . like a ghost through a fog/like a charmed hour/like a haunted song/and the angel of my dreams

The Bad: When I See You Again
Too bad for me to even quote

The Ugly: Gate and Garden:
There is a gate/It can be guarded/Well it is not heaven/and it has a garden

WTF????????? Please tell me she was high when she wrote this
Yet, in the very same song, the lines that totally redeem the whole song for me:

You don't give in to yourself/you give in to your friends

I intensely dislike Running Through the Garden too. And I'm not fond of God's Garden either. My verdict? Stevie needs to stay the hell out of the garden!!!!!!

Lame:
"creature of the night it's been almost a week"-- what is a "creature of the night" anyway? It sounds ghastly.

Great:
"And the days go by like a strand in the wind
In the web that is my own, I begin again..."

I don't care how many times you hear it, this line just captures any mood, it can apply to so many situations in one's ever-changing life. It's about life and renewal, I love it.

I always thought the "creature of the night" was a romantic way to refer to her lover. Of course, it could also be her muse as she says she writes at night.

Of course, I LOVE the strand line :cool:

Umm..yeah..I'm gonna have to say most of they lyrics to Silver Girl...especially the "She's got a million bucks..and she looks like it..." and "those papers she never signed..." I mean..yea she wrote a song for a friend...but it irks me that I can't relate to this song at all...

From Docklands: "Papa says...there are clothes to wash
Sister says...brush your hair You'll go down...to the laundromat
Maybe your sister is there"

That line just annoys me...

As far as good lines..there are a ton..but here are a couple of my favorites:

"And I see you doing...
what I try to do for me
With the words from a poet...
and the voice from a choir
And a melody...nothing else mattered" From EO17

"Never have a I been a blue calm sea, I've always been a storm..." Phenomenal line!

I *hate* those kinds of songs, too. That Made Me Stronger is a glaring example of an unrelatable song. "Will you write this for me, he said no, you write your songs yourself." I understand why she would want to include it, but it could've used work or been relegated as an extra song on the Planets single. It's horrid, IMO.

I don't like The Nightmare either...the whole song is recycled Tusk lyrics to a cheesy synth sound...not one of my favorites.

And I know Stevie likes to be somewhat ambiguous with her lyrics but the whole Bombay Sapphire line that goes:

"It is green...it is aquamarine...it is colors I have never seen...
I can see past you to the white sand...
It is blue...it is all about you...it is all true...(Does Horton Hear A Who?)

and then the..."Here I am dramatic....Here I am not waiting...Here I am not listening.." (It reminds me of a narration to a boring slide show...)

And I also don't like the "Thousand Days" lyric:

"Well I can see the trouble...
The sun is here today and I requested a storm
But I like some kind of Time/Life edition...tradition...competition...(again it sounds like Dr. Seuss)...being the only thing that I really have to remember...the great singers and the great players..."

Complete and utter nonsense!!

Now on to the favorites:

"So with the slow graceful flow of age I went forth..."

"So I close my eyes softly 'til I become that part of the wind that we all long for sometime..."

"To the gypsy that remains...faces freedom with a little fear..."

"In dark sorrow, they gaze down into the darkest heart..."

"And when I call will you walk gently through my shadow..."

"I need you because you let me breathe, but you've taken me away...but never take me lightly or I could never stay..."

"But never have I been a blue calm sea...I have always been a storm..."

"Sometimes it rages...even when it's calm..."

"Said you'd give me light, but you never told me about the fire..."

And soooooo many more...

I think the most cringe-worthy part of any of Stevie's songs, for me, has always been, "Operation Desert Shield! Operation Desert Storm! Operation Desert Angel...."

I dig the song up until that point, and then that just totally blows it for me. Ah well... they can't all be winners.

And of course I already mentioned "Street Angels live on the street, and they always will."

Beyond that, I really love Stevie's phrasing... it's one of the things that draws me to her lyrics. Many lines might look terribly awkward on paper, but sound absolutely brilliant when she's singing them. In my humble opinion, that is... as many people obviously don't agree with me! :laugh:

My favorite line....
"You live by the light of the moon... I live by the light of desire...."



Oh, and Eric... that lyric Jake posted was just a joke. The actual lyrics are, "I'll take off my cape for you... I'll take down my hair for you... anything you want me to do, my love.... I'll sit home and wait for you... Ooh, darling, there's nothing that I'd rather do... anything you want me to do, my love...."

Which I actually think is a very beautiful lyric of love and devotion. :p

Gold Dust Woman:

"...pick up the pizzas and go home..."

Call Pizza Hut, they deliver.





:laugh:

Of COURSE, I'm just kidding!

Lose... when you're waltzing through stardom, you miss what you lose...:sorry:

Warning: This song will grow on you.

I listen to that on the way to the airport. It's my good luck anthem.:)

D'OH!!! :laugh:

I've heard some very interesting theories about this line...:laugh:

Jimmy Iovine? Mick?:laugh:

That's okay. Yours might be closer to the truth.:laugh:

Expound?:D

LOL - I so have been singing "KKKKNNNNNEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWW" for like 10 years now!!!! :laugh:

I don't want to delve into it for fear of offending anyone, but many have seen it as an expression of lesbianism (Venus/glitter/standing next to you). :)

I always thought "Venus doesn't glitter when she stands next to you" tied in with "lose yourself in a silvery dress." It made/makes me think of the female stars of the late 20's and the 30's and 40's like Garbo who often dressed in silver sequin dresses. When they were in those dresses and photographed in black and white, the dress just glittered as if it had diamonds on it. For a good example watch the last scene in the "The Women" when they (particularly Joan Crawford) are all dressed up to the nines in the ladies lounge - talk about sparkle!!!!!

So, I think Stevie is saying not even Venus' beauty (the superlative) can compare to someone like Garbo (and Stevie who in the song is fantasizing about being someone like Garbo) when they are/were in that dress. The TISL lyric "You can consume all the beauty in the room - baby" also touches on this theme.

There she goes again with those metaphors!!!! :laugh:

Exactly. :nod:

Leave it:
Sometimes it's a bitch...sometimes it's a breeze

(most all the lyrics to Docklands)

(most all the lyrics to Street Angel)

Love it:
How the faces of love have changed turning the pages ~ and I have changed oh, but you...you remain ageless

I still look up ~ When you walk in the room ~ I've the same wide eyes ~ They tell the story ~ Try not to reach out ~ When you turn 'round and you say hello ~ And we both pretend ~ There was an end ~ But your no great pretender!

Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night

You said that you'd give me life ~ but you never told me... about the... fireeeee....

And a memory is all that's left for you now...

Im alone now, with my thoughts...

Mistress of my fate, I was a couture

There I go again, I always thought she said "Mistress of my fate, I was a cardshark." Hey, it fit in with being a dealer fo cards. Sometimes I wonder if I do not need professional help!!! :laugh:

:laugh:

Dont feel so bad... I thought the same until I read differently (likely on SaraRhiannon.com). I may have mis-spelled couture... you know what I mean tho, the fancy~shmancy clothes.

Re: Re: Aw, Stevie...you could do better! (The Lame Lyric Thread)
 

I like that MUCH better! I'll have to remember to do the same whenever I listen to that song! :cool:

Says who?
Do you mean you've never heard the chicken outtake? It's from a live concert early in the RAL tour. Stevie was improvising a lot with different bird motifs: the quail, the penguin, the pelican, the pigeon, the dodo, the ostrich. She had replaced her spins with the actual Chicken Dance, but she accidentally hopped backwards off the stage three times. Mick writes about these falls in one of his books. Still, it's a powerful concert video for a bootleg, especially when at the end of the song live chickens are released into the desert. Somebody hands one to Stevie, but she is baffled when it won't fly out of her hand.
And Eric, never believe anything I post.:wavey:

- Jake

WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S NOT "CARDSHARK"? DAMM!T

Laugh/cringe at:

"I saw him the other day, I saw him again yesterday" OK, so are there any days you haven't seen him?

"But I like some TIME/LIFE edition...tradition...competition" This is my Horton Hears a Hoo song

"What's the matter, baby...baby, baby" Apparently, your drug addiction, that's what

So many lines that I love:

"track a ghost through the fog"

"I turned around, and the water was closing all around me, like a glove"

"the keeper of the time is blind"

"and the lady's feeling just like the moon that she loved"

"rock & roll ballerina, where else would she go"

"filling the air with colors and winds, that lift you up to God"

"you come running out in the wind with me, the ocean is your blanket"

"and it brings up the wind and it rises around you in pillars of color"

"you can dedicate your pain to him"

Whoa, sorry for the rambling!

Paula

To each his own, but I LOVE the RAL album except for this one song. IMO Imperial Hotel, Rock a Little, and No Spoken Word are far superior.
But it's comforting to know you and I don't agree on everything, Tower. I was beginning to think I was sleepwalking to the computer and typing your posts.:)

- Jake